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Paris  By  cover art

Paris

By: Edward Rutherfurd
Narrated by: Jane Wymark, Jonathan Keeble
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Publisher's summary

"City of love. City of splendour. City of terror. City of dreams."

Inspired by the haunting, passionate story of the city of lights, this epic novel weaves a gripping tale of four families across the centuries: from the lies that spawn the noble line of de Cygne to the revolutionary Le Sourds who seek their destruction; from the Blanchards whose bourgeois respectability offers scant protection against scandal to the hard-working Gascons and their soaring ambitions.

Over hundreds of years, these four families are bound by forbidden loves and marriages of convenience; dogged by vengeance and murderous secrets; torn apart by the irreconcilable differences of birth and faith, and brought together by the tumultuous history of their city. Paris bursts to life in the intrigue, corruption and glory of its people.

Beloved author of Sarum, London, and New York, Edward Rutherfurd illuminates Paris as only he can: capturing the romance and everyday drama of the men and women who, in 2000 years, transformed a humble trading post on the muddy banks of the Seine into the most celebrated city in the world.

©2013 Edward Rutherford (P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic reviews

"From the ice-age to the present day, Rutherfurd's scope is vast. Both historical novel and adventure epic, this is a work of universal appeal.'' ( Kirkus UK, on Sarum)
''Hold your breath suspense, buccaneering adventure, and passionate tales of love and war.'' ( The Times, on London)

What listeners say about Paris

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful, descriptive tale. Thoroughly enjoyed it

What made the experience of listening to Paris the most enjoyable?

I was in Paris at the time so that helped! This book spans several generations and does it well. Loved it. Was a long, great yarn.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to say - they were all great.

Any additional comments?

I appreciated Paris so much more having read this book, and it was just a great read. kept me hooked right til the end. Brilliant

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Centuries of beautiful, delectable snobbery

Would you consider the audio edition of Paris to be better than the print version?

Listening is so much more experiential, the voice, like a an instrument adds emotion and nuance to the writer.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

One does not read Edward Rutherfurd for the plot and story. The narrative is purely a backdrop or a canvas to explore the city and to 'experience' its historic life. The actual story is, in true Rutherfurd tradition, slightly weak and contrived. Don't get me wrong, it is much less painful than anything by Dan Brown, but the narrative is a vehicle not the end. Therefore the end of the book could be anything, since the real end of the book is going to be your travel agent.

What about Jane Wymark and Jonathan Keeble ’s performance did you like?

The two J's do justice to the story and help to delineate the forward-backward jumps in centuries. Jonathan can really make con you to believe it is a woman talking without any obvious falsetto trick. True craft.

If you could take any character from Paris out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would have liked to win that lucky draw, not for the obvious, but for the other.

Any additional comments?

A good, albeit weak yarn, on a magnificent backdrop.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Paris - just amazing

What did you love best about Paris?

How the fictional characters were woven into the factual account of some of the history of the city

What other book might you compare Paris to and why?

Any of Edward Rutherfurd's books

What does Jane Wymark and Jonathan Keeble bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A French influence

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Far too long to read in one sitting but always looked forward to the next sitting

Any additional comments?

Made me look for factual reference to events around which the story is woven. Learnt a lot.

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